Pellegrini rules out Rodwell loan

Wigan manager Uwe Roesler had refused to rule out the possibility of making an approach for the England international, who has barely featured for City, after midfielders Ben Watson and Chris McCann sustained injuries.

Rodwell has only made one league start for City this season but manager Manuel Pellegrini is determined to keep the 22-year-old for the run in.

He said: “Jack will continue here. Unfortunately for him, he has a lot of injuries during the year but he will continue now here.”

Wigan eliminated City from the FA Cup last Sunday with a 2-1 victory that Pellegrini admitted surprised him.

But the Chilean defended his decision to start without David Silva, who came off the bench, and Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Aleksandar Kolarov, who were unused substitutes, while Fernandinho and Pablo Zabaleta were not in the matchday 18 at all.

He said: “Against Wigan we had five or six players who played 90 minutes for their national team in midweek, who had a long journey in the case of Fernandinho; Zabaleta was injured; Kompany played 90 minutes. During the whole season, we did exactly the same in every cup. When we won, no one talked about the 11 starters.”

City, who have won the Capital One Cup, were knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League in the space of four days and Pellegrini admits he will have to lift spirits in the camp for their title push, starting with Saturday’s away game at Hull.

He said: “We didn’t expect to be out against Wigan. We are in a very difficult week after we were eliminated from both competitions. This game I think is special, it is more difficult, because we have less than 72 hours to recover.”

Pellegrini reiterated his view that it is a four-team title race, rather than a straight fight between his side and league leaders Chelsea.

He explained: “I don’t think it is just Chelsea. I think it is also Arsenal, Liverpool and our team and I think the four teams will fight for the title until the end.”